If Statues Could Move, Oh The Stories They'd Tell

Dot Allison has a new single out and album coming in July.

I get a lot of email, most of it junk, and it's long since stopped being a channel for communicating with family and loved ones. But...every now and then, something drops into my mailbox that brings a smile to my face and glow to my heart.

 

And so it was with a couple of emails on Monday morning, courtesy of Dot's Bandcamp mailing list, announcing Unchanged as a precursor to seventh album, Consciousology. 

 

The album is released via Sonic Cathedral, home to Mark Peters, who Dot collaborated with to stunning effect last year.

 

In the promo releases, Dot describes Consciousology as "a more psych Heart-Shaped Scars with a far fuller, more immersive sound and so, in that sense, it’s a more wayward, bolder, rule-breaking partner.”.

If that isn't enough (no spoilers, it was for me), fellow label mate Andy Bell guests on a couple of songs including Unchanged, Hannah Peel provides string arrangements and Fiona Cruickshank returns to co-produce the album, which is wrapped in gorgeous art and design by Maria Mochnac. 

 

Unchanged is summed up as "Linda Perhacs-meets-The Velvet Underground" but really, no pitch needed other than to say it's Dot Allison. The general theme is that of "being in a process with someone where you love, lose and grieve the love-bond alone, while the other person appears to remain unchanged throughout”.

 

In what is proving to be another excellent year for albums, in a time when their death has been proclaimed more often than I can keep count, Consciousology promises to be a reminder of why they are still relevant, still needed, maybe more than ever.

 

You can buy the single version of Unchanged via Bandcamp now and take your pick of pre-order options for Consciousology. 

 

Welcome back, Dot.

 

*** Updated P.S. ***

 

Remiss of me, but I should have included a repost of the hour-long Dot Allison selection that appearedlast October. Here you go.